10 Horror Movie Characters Who Don't Say Anything

These horror characters didn't need to say a word to leave a huge impression.

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A24/Nordisk Film

The horror genre is full of iconic characters bursting with as much personality as they do violence. Whether it's loquacious killers like Hannibal Lecter and Pinhead, or wisecracking smart mouths such as Freddy Krueger and Chucky, these villains are just as memorable for their menacing threats and quippy one-liners as they are for their sinister actions.

However, not every horror character talks. In fact, some of the most terrifying of all remain utterly silent onscreen. The likes of Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees are the quintessential examples of this kind of horror archetype, but they're far from being the only ones out there.

With their limited means of communication (if they even communicate at all), these characters become more of an unknowable force within the film. Their lack of dialogue makes them a completely physical presence, and that's what makes them more frightening than their more talkative counterparts.

It's not just the villains who have remained silent either. There's also a handful of protagonists who never utter a word during their horrifying ordeals.

Whether they chose not to talk or simply cannot speak, these horror movie characters didn't need to say a word to leave a huge impression on audiences.

10. Snorky - The Banana Splits Movie (2019)

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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Taking the characters from the 1960s children’s TV show of the same name and turning them into crazed animatronic killers, The Banana Splits Movie has since found itself welcomed into the realms of cult cinema thanks to its combination of self-aware humour and sadistic levels of gore.

When the birthday of Banana Splits superfan Harley (Finlay Wojtak-HIsson) rolls around, his mum (Dani Kind) surprises him by taking him and the rest of his family to see a live recording of the show. However, when the show is abruptly cancelled by a studio executive, the anthropomorphic foursome set out on a murderous rampage, kidnapping the children in the audience for their own twisted version of the show.

Whereas Bingo, Fleagle, and Drooper (all of whom are voiced by voice acting legend Eric Bauza) indulge in as many hilarious one-liners as they do gnarly gore effects, the fourth Banana Split, an elephant named Snorky, remains as silent as they did in the original TV show.

Despite never speaking, this bespectacled elephant is given a surprisingly heartfelt arc in the film. It's as ludicrously insane as everything else in The Banana Splits Movie, but by the end viewers will adore Snorky just as much as Harley does.

Contributor
Contributor

Glasgow-based cinephile who earned a Masters degree in film studies to spend their time writing about cinema, video games, and horror.